GEORGE HARRISON

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"I think people who can truly live a life in music are telling the world, 'You can have my love, you can have my smiles.  Forget the bad parts, you don't need them.  Just take the music, the goodness, because it's the very best, and it's the part I give.'"
G E O R G E

        George Harrison was born February 25, 1943 in Liverpool to Harold and Louise Harrison.  He was the youngest of four children.  He attended the Liverpool Institute for Boys (from 1954-1959), where he dedicated some of his time to drawing guitars on his school papers.  When he finally purchased his first guitar, George, his brother Peter, and his friend Arthur Kelly formed a skiffle group together (The Rebels).  While attending the Liverpool Institute, George met Paul McCartney, who was at that time in The Quarrymen with John Lennon.  Soon enough, Paul introduced George to John in the hopes of gaining a new guitarist for the group (George was proficient at playing "Raunchy").  Although put off at first by George's young age, John ultimately agreed to let him join as the lead guitar player.
        In 1960, The Beatles (as The Quarrymen would come to be known) left for Hamburg, Germany, where they played long sets at the Kaiserkeller.  George, only 17 at the time, ended up being deported because of his age.
        In 1961, Brian Epstein signed on as their manager, and Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best as the group's drummer after their audition with George Martin at Parlophone/EMI.  In 1962, the Beatles recorded their first sessions with George Martin.  In 1964, I Want to Hold Your Hand became a No. 1 hit in America, and the Beatles finally arrived in the US, where Beatlemania was flourishing.  Having mentioned that he liked Jelly Bellies, George found himself being pummeled by these candies at concerts.  The Beatles were eventually rewarded MBEs in 1965.  The Beatles' last concert was held in 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA.  George married Pattie Boyd that same year (January 21), having first met her during filming of A Hard Day's Night; Paul McCartney was George's best man.  George and Pattie would later split up in 1974, and George married for a second time on September 2nd, 1978, to Olivia Trinidad Arias.  Their son, Dhani Harrison, was born August 1, 1978. 
        In 1969, the Beatles made their last public performance on the roof of the Apple building for the filming of Let It Be.  The Beatles' records favored the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo for the most part; George was often frustrated by the inherent difficulty in getting his own songs on records, especially as he was becoming more productive and his songwriting skills were improving.  George had a stockpile of unreleased material that he later recorded during his solo career.  He even started his own record label, Dark Horse Records, in 1974.  George also organized the Concert For Bangladesh in 1971, which featured a myriad of musical talent, including Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Badfinger, Bob Dylan, and even Ringo.  George toured periodically from 1971-1992.
        Besides releasing a number of solo albums, George formed The Traveling Wilburys, a sort of folk-pop supergroup, with Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty.  The group released two albums and was together from 1988-1990.
        George also dabbled in film, having formed HandMade films in 1978.  George established this company in order to help Monty Python finish filming of Life of Brian.
        George's spirituality was progressively more apparent throughout the years.  He first became interested in Indian culture when he was introduced to the work of Ravi Shankar in 1965 and when he encountered a sitar on the set of Help!  In 1968, George, together with the other Beatles and all their wives, traveled to Rishikesh, India, where they studied meditation under the Maharishi Makesh Yogi.  George became a devotee of Hinduism, and aligned himself with the Hare Krishna tradition in particular for the rest of his life.
        In 1997, George and his family received the tragic news that he had throat cancer, which had spread to his lungs and his brain.  After battling cancer for several years, George passed away on November 29, 2001; his ashes were spread along the Ganges River.
       

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IN MEMORIAM

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